Aspiring media professionals often find themselves at a crossroads when considering where to kickstart their careers –– a familiar feeling for students in the College of Communication.
Boston University’s Los Angeles Internship Program offers a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the heart of the country’s media landscape. With tailored tracks in Advertising and Public Relations, Entertainment Management and Film and Television, the program caters to diverse interests within COM.
“Each site has its own course offerings and benefits, but LA is more of a pre-professional type program, especially for film and TV majors,” said Rachel Parola, program manager for BU’s Geneva, Paris, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Santiago programs.
Katarina Soto, academic program specialist and program alumna, emphasizes the fusion of academia and real-world insights.
“LA tends to be the hub when it comes to entertainment, production, film and TV,” she said. “Our professors are in the entertainment industry in their day jobs, and at night, they teach classes regarding the business of Hollywood, entertainment, marketing, and PR.”
The program’s rolling admissions process ensures flexibility for students, but early applications are encouraged to secure coveted spots and ample time for internship placements. Post-admission, students receive personalized guidance from LA-based program managers who assist them in securing internships aligned with their career aspirations.
“They [the managers] will come to BU and meet all the students one on one to talk about their interests, their goals, skills and development, issues they’re interested in, and then they’ll work with them and they’ll send them leads of places to apply to that they think that would be a good fit for them,” Parola said.
Students also attend a general meeting about housing and course selection.
It’s common for students to permanently move to LA following their graduation from the program. Sara Segal, a 2022 graduate of the program, and Soto are two examples.
“A lot of people do the program their senior spring [semester]… because that’s kind of the trajectory that they’re told to do,” said Segal.
Soto’s experience rings true to Segal’s, who also followed the “trend” of pursuing a long-term internship or career in the city. Soto says the internship gave her “a toe in the water” of working in Los Angeles.
“To me, the internship was such an important time in college because as much as I learned here in BU proper, it was just very insightful to see how the industry worked before actually moving to LA. ”
During Soto’s internship, she gained real-world experience at a film production company which she leveraged into a full-time job offer.
“I was able to showcase my skills as an intern to the point where they made me an executive assistant for a year,” Soto added. “So it definitely gave me the opportunity to work in the industry as well.”
Segal’s experience landing a full-time job in Los Angeles relied less on Boston University’s program, and more on her own independent network.
“My upperclassmen friends were how I got a job,” Segal said. “It wasn’t BU in LA or BU proper in those specific physical resources that helped me the way that my friends did.”
Regarding the opportunities for BU students in the LA program, Advertising and Public Relations students can take advantage of panels with industry experts, including alumni of BU.
“For instance, one of our BU alums is the publicity coordinator for Paramount. So she kind of describes how she went through her internship process as well as what her job currently entails in the industry regarding marketing, advertisement, PR,” Soto says.
There’s also a great avenue for those interested in marketing, finance, and law, with specific classes and internships tailored toward each of those fields.
As for Film and Television students, BU LA has one specific class on representation, and students can learn about how agencies and management works.
“It’s so, so important,” Segal said, underscoring the significance of BU’s Los Angeles-specific curriculum in preparing students for the realities of the entertainment business.
Boston University’s Los Angeles Internship Program stands as a significant resource for COM students, offering a bridge between academic learning and real-world practice in one of the world’s most influential media hubs.
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